Why does/did racism happen?

Question

Because racists are stupid?
Then why are they stupid? because they don't know human are equal?

Why are they ignorant? Because they hurt others? because they live 1920? That's my question.

So racists are fear of difference? Then people who are weak are racist?

I know they are stupid. But what I want to know is why they are stupid.

Racist wants power? and why is it stupid?

Answer 1

Ignorance means that the person in question is uneducated or not aquanted with the subject matter. It's like if I were face to face with a quantum physicist and he began talking his mumbo jumbo and math and what not, and I'd respond your breaching the fine line that seperates healthy knowledge and useless knowledge. It's not that quantum physics is useless at infact there are infinate possibilites that can be dirived from all the sciences, but I would feel threatened by his superior intelligence and try to defend myself with utter trash.

So, if an uneducated man is approached by someone differant than him he will most likely try to defend himself and bring that person down to his level or just force him out of his life.

Answer 2

It would be a great question without the explanations!
Anyway it is interesting!

I think it is a matter of wealth, economical and social wealth!

Resources are not divided equally in the world! Also people are afraid of differences. They are used to live in a certain way and they like it as it is!

In my opinion Hitler was the most racist human being ever excited, and we can't say he was just stupid, he was physiologically ill!

Racism is a limit human race should cross to go further!

Answer 3

Racisim is the result of obvious differences in cultures/faiths that has been around since time began, hostility towards those who are different to what is percieved as normal, thus the other culture becomes alien and the alienness of it becomes aliennated due to religious/cultural beliefs. Tolerance of others differences is a vastly young concept in society, it has to overcome many hundreds and thousands of years of belief to the contrary. Only in the last half of the twentieth century did the notion of equality really come into being; therefore we are constantly evloving as a society and still have much to learn about others before we can truly say our society is fair, equal and tolerant of all.

Answer 4

See "The Real Eve" on Discovery Channel. There really is only one race. Micardial DNA can only be inheritied from your mother, and everyone on earth today is descended from one woman of 150,000 years ago. There was only about 10,000 people in the world at that time. About 80,000 years ago a group isolated by the Sahara desert growing up behind them, crossed from Africa to Yemen and populated the whole world; killing the only other men, when they showed up in Europe. Gene mutates about every 20,000 years, so different have mutated a little apart every so often. UV rays acting on folic acid in the body regulate the amount of melanin in the skin to insure a proper amount of vitamin D from the sun; lotta melanin when there is a lotta UV rays, and not when there is not much sun around. Furthermore, people in cold places tend to be more compact to decrease their surface area, and conserve heat. So, now that you are over that, let's save the millions of perfect dogs, who are being "euthanized" whether they like it or not every year.

Answer 5

It is a built in human survival instinct to classify and evaluate.

The problem arises when this is applied to fellow humans although from a evolutionary point of view this would make wars easier to start (survival of the fitest) and gives a moral aspect to protecting your own (see Nepotism).

Moreover science has shown that in the past million years certain groups of humans have had to adapt to harsher conditions (Caucasians in ice age Europe) whereas others have remained relatively unchanged (Africans) due to their already comfortable lifestyles, thus giving rise to the illusion that one group is more evolved than another and therefore more superior.

It is not evolution rather adaptation.

Nepotism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotism

Answer 6

A strange component of the human psychology is fear of the 'other' and a need to label that 'other' thus anyone who is different within a group becomes 'other' and the main group must do something to either excise them or control them. This, from what I have read, seems to have been with humanity since the beginning and we really need to get busy and outgrow it. Rascism is stupid and it limits everyone from experiencing their optimal potential as human beings.

Answer 7

Because SOME humans are stupid.
Not all humans are racist.
And even if we were all the same race, I believe that same sorry group of people would just hate something else, like 'short people' or 'people with big noses' etc.
It's human nature to find something not to like..

Answer 8

Not only racism stupid, it's about power. It gives a certain race a superior complex that picks on "lesser" races. It's about control and propaganda. If you can get enough people to back you up, you have a very dangerous weapon.

Answer 9

What I'm reading here is that people judge whole groups negatively (racism) because that group of people are stupid, arrogant and ignorant.

With all due respect, it seems you've answered your own question, eh?

Answer 10

Most racists are either ignorant or arrogant. Ignorance and arrogance both breed prejudice and racism. Racism is also about hate.